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Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Brain & Nervous System

Effect of acute millimeter wave exposure on dopamine metabolism of NGF-treated PC12 cells.

No Effects Found

Haas AJ, Le Page Y, Zhadobov M, Sauleau R, Dréan YL, Saligaut C. · 2017

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Millimeter wave exposure at 60.4 GHz showed no significant effects on dopamine metabolism in nerve cells over 24 hours.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

French researchers exposed nerve cells to 60.4 GHz millimeter wave radiation (the type used in 5G and some wireless systems) for 24 hours to see if it affected dopamine, a key brain chemical involved in movement and mood. They found no significant changes in dopamine production or processing, with only a slight increase in one dopamine byproduct that they attributed to heating effects. This suggests that millimeter wave exposure at these levels doesn't disrupt basic nerve cell function related to dopamine.

Why This Matters

This study provides valuable data on millimeter wave frequencies that are increasingly used in 5G networks and will become more prevalent in our wireless infrastructure. The researchers used 60.4 GHz radiation at 5 mW/cm² for 24 hours - an exposure level and duration that exceeds what most people experience from consumer devices, though it's within ranges used for some medical applications. The focus on dopamine metabolism is particularly relevant because dopamine dysfunction is linked to neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease. While the researchers found no significant non-thermal effects on nerve cell function, this represents just one study using laboratory cell cultures. The reality is that we need more research across different frequencies, exposure levels, and biological endpoints to fully understand millimeter wave effects on the nervous system, especially given the rapid deployment of these technologies.

Exposure Details

Power Density
5 mW/cm²
Source/Device
60.4 GHz

Exposure Context

This study used 5 mW/cm² for radio frequency:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 5 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 5 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 60.40 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 60.40 GHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Effect of acute millimeter wave exposure on dopamine metabolism of NGF-treated PC12 cells.

we investigated the effects of a 24-h MMW exposure at 60.4 GHz, with an incident power density (IPD)...

Neither dopamine turnover nor DAT protein expression level were impacted by MMW exposure. However, e...

This result was related to the thermal effect, and overall, no evidence of non-thermal effects of MMW exposure were observed on dopamine metabolism.

Cite This Study
Haas AJ, Le Page Y, Zhadobov M, Sauleau R, Dréan YL, Saligaut C. (2017). Effect of acute millimeter wave exposure on dopamine metabolism of NGF-treated PC12 cells. J Radiat Res. 2017 Feb 24:1-7. doi: 10.1093/jrr/rrx004.
Show BibTeX
@article{aj_2017_effect_of_acute_millimeter_3061,
  author = {Haas AJ and Le Page Y and Zhadobov M and Sauleau R and Dréan YL and Saligaut C.},
  title = {Effect of acute millimeter wave exposure on dopamine metabolism of NGF-treated PC12 cells.},
  year = {2017},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28339776/},
}
PubMed: 28339776

Cited By (12 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, a 2017 French study found that 24-hour exposure to 60.4 GHz millimeter waves (used in 5G) did not significantly affect dopamine production or processing in nerve cells. Only a slight increase in one dopamine byproduct occurred, attributed to heating effects rather than the radiation itself.
Research on 60.4 GHz millimeter waves found no disruption to dopamine metabolism in nerve cells after 24 hours of exposure. The study detected no significant changes in dopamine turnover or related proteins, suggesting 5G-type frequencies don't interfere with basic brain chemical processes at these levels.
A 2017 study found no evidence of non-thermal effects from 60.4 GHz millimeter wave exposure on dopamine metabolism in nerve cells. The only observed change was a slight increase in a dopamine byproduct, which researchers attributed to thermal (heating) effects rather than radiation-specific impacts.
Research exposing nerve cells to 60.4 GHz millimeter waves for 24 hours found no significant disruption to dopamine function. The study suggests that continuous exposure at these levels doesn't impair basic nerve cell operations related to this important brain chemical involved in movement and mood.
Yes, but only slightly and not significantly. A 2017 study found minor increases in extracellular DOPAC (a dopamine byproduct) when nerve cells were exposed to 60.4 GHz millimeter waves for 24 hours. Researchers attributed this small change to heating effects rather than direct radiation impacts.